


The Magic of Love

by Colonel_Murph



Series: My Beautiful Abomination series [1]
Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Torchwood
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Fluff, Getting Together, It’s a mess, M/M, Magic, Magical Ianto Jones, Meet-Cute, Not Canon Compliant, Police AU, Soulmate AU, Soulmates, Warning: this is fucking stupid but i unashamedly love the monstrosity that i have created, but its my mess, magical au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:15:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27101812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Colonel_Murph/pseuds/Colonel_Murph
Summary: In a world where soulmates exist, people search out the other half of their souls in an epic game of hot and cold. The closer you get, the warmer you feel. How will detective Captain Jack Harkness and Wizard Ianto Jones react to their chance meeting? This is their story.
Relationships: Gwen Cooper/Rhys Williams, Ianto Jones/Jack Harkness
Series: My Beautiful Abomination series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2162700
Comments: 24
Kudos: 77





	1. Jelly-Legs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pixelthebuffyfan3603](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixelthebuffyfan3603/gifts).



> Okay, so, this is entirely pixel3603’s fault over on tumblr. I asked for inspiration and this is what they gave me. Enjoy a police-soulmate-Hogwarts AU that even I’m not sure makes sense :)

Ianto let out a steady breath as he tried to focus on what he was doing, not an easy feat as he was nursing one hell of a hang over. He knew he shouldn’t have had that last shot of firewhisky but Rhys had just got engaged to his soulmate so he couldn’t really say no. That didn’t mean he wasn’t paying fo it now, “You okay boss?” Lois, his assistant, asked, “Need another pepper up potion?”

“I’d better not,” he sighed, giving up on fixing the display in front of him, “I’m going to get some air, hold down the fort for me?”

“Sure thing,” she patted his arm sympathetically and shooed him away with a fond smile. The two of them had been working together at the museum for two years now and things had never been better. Wizards from all over the country came to see their exhibits and nearly none of them alerted the muggles who came to see the not so magical displays on the other side of the hidden entrance.

The wall worked in same fashion as the train station platform, all you had to do was walk through it with confidence and you’d swap the muggle museum behind you for the magical one Ianto had poured his heart and soul into making the best it could be. He couldn’t take all the credit though, while he could tell you the history of any object currently held in their archives, Lois had a real knack for crafting their displays.

He was on his way out for a breather when he noticed a muggle man trying to snatch a young woman’s purse by the doors, “Excuse me sir,” he changed direction, swiftly making his way over, “does that belong to you?”

The man managed to snatch the purse away from the woman’s and threw a punch at him, missing he tried to make a run for it but Ianto wasn’t about to allow something like that happen in his museum. Slipping his wand down his sleeve, Ianto cast a nonverbal Jelly-Legs Jinx on the poor excuse for a thief and watched with great pleasure as he crashed to the ground, “I didn’t think so,” he picked up the purse and returned it to the shaken woman, “I believe this is yours?”

“Thank you,” she looked at the man on the floor with wide eyes, “I should call the police.”

Stifling a groan, Ianto nodded and stood to one side as she did just that. He couldn’t stand muggle police but he preferred them to arrogant Aurors, he’d just feed them some lie about how the man tripped over his own two feet and hopefully they could all get on with their day without too much hassle.

-

“It’s gorgeous Gwen, really,” Jack gushed over Gwen’s engagement ring, “How did he propose? Flowers, an elaborate meal?” It was about time Rhys made an honest woman out of her, he couldn’t be happier for them.

Fiddling with her ring, Gwen debated how much she could tell him. She couldn’t exactly tell him that Rhys had filled their living room full of floating candles could she? Hating that she had to lie but understanding why, Gwen gave him a censored version of events, “Well, he took me out to a fancy dinner at that new french place but the monument. He was so nervous, bless,” she sighed dreamily, “He waited till we got home and the room was full of lit candles.”

“It sounds magical,” Jack squeezed her hand as Gwen snorted, truly happy for them both, “so, down on one knee?”

Hiding a smile behind her hand Gwen laughed, “Well, sort of, he pulled his back and had to lie down for a minute but-” Jack’s laughter interrupted her and she slapped his arm with a mock glare, “Hey! It was romantic!”

“Sounds like it,” Jack coughed as he tried to smother his laughter, “and you said yes?”

“Of course I did,” Gwen had a dreamy look on her face again, they’d only been dating a year but she had no doubts, “he’s my soulmate. When you know, you know.”

A knock on the door interrupted them but it was only Tosh popping her head in, “Jack? I fixed your computer. Try not to dump another cup of coffee over your desk and it should be fine.”

Immediately on the defensive, Jack crossed his arms, “It’s not my fault, the damn cup-”

“I cannot go through this again with you,” Tosh had heard the mug argument three times this week alone, “your mug is not cursed, neither is it out to get you, haunted or broken. You’re just a klutz,” she shot Gwen a smile as she laughed, “oh, and theres been a reported attempted robbery at the Museum downtown, the staff handled it apparently but you should be getting sent out to collect the guy in a minute.”

“Thanks Tosh,” Gwen checked her phone and sure enough it pinged with an alert a couple of seconds later, “come on Jack, no rest for the wicked.”


	2. Double Ouch

Sighing in the car, Jack tugged at his shirt collar and whined, “Gwen, I think I’m coming down with something,” the closer they got the the scene the stuffier the car felt. She wouldn’t even let him turn the AC on, telling him to open the window if it was that bad.

“Oh shut up,” Gwen turned the corner and paid him no mind, “you just hate the museum.”

She wasn’t wrong exactly, “That place gives me the creeps!” 

“Grow up, were almost there,” she usually had more patience with her partner but right then she was more worried about Ianto, he worked at the museum after all. She could only hope he wasn’t involved as it might bring up some awkward questions, “stop being a baby.”

Pouting, Jack followed Gwen inside the Museum once they got parked outside and took a leaflet from the front desk to waft himself with, “Seriously?” He complained, “it’s like a sauna in here.”

Giving him a strange look, Gwen opened her mouth to say something but evidently thought better of it and focused on the task at hand, “I’ll go take statements, why don’t you handle the suspect?”

Jack thought that was an excellent idea and was about to readily agree until he clocked what might possibly have been the most breathtaking man he had ever laid eyes on. Dark hair, pale skin and a suit that was tight in all the right places, “Hello,” he spoke softly to himself, “who are you?”

“Jack?” Gwen followed his eyeliner and spotted Ianto, “I think-”

“Change of plans,” he was already walking away, “I’ll take statements.”

Over by an open window, Ianto was loosening his tie as the heat started getting to him, maybe he was coming down with something? His hangovers were never usually this bad and it was getting to uncomfortable levels of warm in here. He was about to sneak off and cast a cooling charm on himself when he noticed the police had arrived and another wave of heat washed over him.

Then it clicked, his soulmate must be nearby.

He started looking around a little for her, trying not to be too obvious about it in case he was wrong but no one was standing out to him. His search was interrupted however as one of the officers made his way towards him and every inch of his skin started to burn unpleasantly, “Hello,” the man smiled charmingly, “Captain Jack Harkness, and who are you?”

-

Jack offered the cutie in a suit a hand as he introduced himself, feeling sweat bead on his brow, and he’s not proud it took until he was literally almost on fire to realise that this was probably his soulmate. Wow. Thank you universe, yummy.

Only, the man had stepped back with wide, almost scared eyes as if Jack’s hand was radioactive, “You have me at a disadvantage Mr…?” He tried again for a name as he lowered his hand slowly.

“Jones,” he told him, looking like a deer in headlights, “Ianto Jones.”

“Well Jones, Ianto Jones,” Jack smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring manner, “do you want to tell me about what happened here?” He had a job to do after all and the man looked spooked. Maybe he wasn’t what he was expecting?

Ianto gave his statement, mind whirling as he stared at the man in front of him. A man. This couldn’t be right, he just had a hangover right? Or the flu? Please god let it be the flu, “and that’s it really, he just fell over his own two feet and then we called you.”

“Thank you,” Jack made note of what Ianto had told him and reached out to pat his shoulder in a last ditch attempt to confirm or deny his suspicions but the man flinched back almost violently.

“Don’t,” Ianto tugged uncomfortably at his shirt collar, feeling trapped, “Just don’t.”

Forcing a smile, Jack held his hands up in mock surrender, “Ouch,” he laughed emptily, “most people like a guy in uniform”

“It’s not the uniform I have a problem with,” Ianto huffed.

Double Ouch, “Well there’s only one way to find out,” Jack offered him his hand again, trying to be patient, “we could both just be coming down with a cold.”

Praying that was the case, Ianto braced himself and took the Captains offered hand in his own, squeezing his eyes shut tight when the heat between them increased tenfold for a moment before simmering out completely. When he eventually opened his eyes again Jack looked just as shocked as he felt, his entire world crumbling around him, Ianto let one lone word pass his lips, “Fuck.”


	3. Go Have Fun

Tosh frowned as Jack stormed back into the station and shot Gwen a concerned look. Her friend shook her head and followed after the irate Captain but Tosh wasn’t left wondering what was wrong for long as Jack came moping back over in a huff soon after.

Throwing himself into the spare chair she kept next to her desk for this exact reason, Tosh raised an eyebrow at the massive pout Jack was giving her, “Okay, did you spill coffee over your computer again because Jack I swear-”

“He met his soulmate,” Gwen didn’t sugar coat it as she perched on the end of the desk next to him, “I actually know the guy, he went to school with Rhys.”

“Oh my god, that’s great!” Tosh grinned for a moment before she remembered that Jack looked far from pleased at this development, “or not? Wait, please tell me it wasn’t the suspect?” That surely couldn’t have been the case.

“No, he’s the handsome knight in shining armour that apprehended the would be thief,” Jack sighed whilst fully, staring off into the distance moodily.

“Ianto’s straight” Gwen explained, patting Jack’s shoulder comfortingly as he let out a whine, “or at least everyone always thought he was, himself included.”

Sympathy filled Tosh’s eyes, “Oh Jack…”

“Why does this have to happen to me?” He sighed, letting his friends comfort him as he tried to come up with some sort of plan to win the other man over. If he even could.

-

“Why does this have to happen to me?” Ianto groaned, hiding his face in his hands as Rhys patted him on the back in the three broomsticks. It had been a long day at work and he needed his friends help, “Seriously Rhys,” he could hardly believe this, it was like a cosmic joke, “a bloke! An American, Muggle _male_ Police officer!”

“It could be worse,” Rhys winced as he tried to comfort his friend, “I’ve met Harkness before, works with my Gwen, he’s an alright bloke really, a bit… camp sometimes…”

“Urgh,” Ianto ordered another drink, as he tired to wrap his head around the days events, “I mean, it’s not like I’ve never thought about it,” he told him honestly, “but my soulmate? Really?”

“Just give him a chance,” Rhys handed him another pint, “he might surprise you”

-

Armed with confidence that Gwen and Tosh had helped him build up, Jack decided to go back to the museum and talk to Ianto. Their first meeting hadn’t exactly been what Jack had always dreamt of but he knew they could make this work if only Ianto would meet him halfway. They just needed to get to know each other a bit, his main goal of today was to get the other mans number, maybe even get him to agree to a coffee date if he was lucky. 

Gwen’s advice played over in his head again, he needed to tread carefully, not push too much. Take things at Ianto’s pace. He could do this. He was Captain Jack Harkness.

“Hello,” he approached the front desk with a smile, “I’m looking for Ianto Jones?”

The young woman looked him up and down for a moment before nodding. “I take it you’re the Captain?” She didn’t wait for him to respond, “I’ll go get him for you now sir, if you could just wait here.”

Without much choice, Jack was forced to wait, rocking back and forth on his heels until they both suddenly reappeared seemingly out of thin air, “Captain Harkness,” Ianto didn’t exactly seem thrilled to see him, “how can I help you?”

“I was thinking we could drop the titles if that’s alright?” He suggested, looking back and forth between Ianto and the young woman who’d gone to fetch him, she didn’t seem to be going anywhere so he did his best to try and ignore her, “Just Jack is fine.”

“Alright Jack,” Ianto inclined his head adorably, “how can I help you?”

Clearing his throat nervously, Jack clasped his hands behind his back, “I was wondering if I could take you out for coffee?” There, he’d asked him, now all he could do was wait and hope Ianto wouldn’t shoot him down too viciously.

“Well, um,” that wasn’t a promising start, “actually I’m swamped-”

“He’d love to!” The young woman pushed him forward with a glare, “Go have fun boss, I can hold down the fort.” 

Jack decided he liked her. “Wonderful,” he tried to be enthusiastic, “let’s get going shall we?”


	4. First Date

When Ianto had woken up and got ready for what he assumed would be another long day at work, he had not planned on being taken out by his very male soulmate for coffee. He had no idea what he was doing, was this a date? He hadn’t been on a date in far too long, what did people usually talk about? Work? Their childhoods? It’s not like Ianto could go spilling wizarding world secrets to a muggle he barely knew, soulmate or not.

So there he sat, sipping the coffee Jack had bought for him awkwardly as he tried to think of something, anything, to say. “So,” he picked a random topic he hoped was safe, “how long have you worked for the police?”

It seemed to work, Jack smiled at him looking relaxed and open. “Six years now, I’m ex Air Force hence the Captain. How about you?” He turned the question back at him, “do you like working at the museum?”

“Yes, I do…” Ianto couldn’t really talk about it though, Jack wouldn’t understand if he started blabbering on about their new ancient mountain troll exhibit, at best he’d think he was crazy, at worst… well Ianto was just glad witch trails weren’t really a thing anymore. He grasped at straws “you work with Gwen? She’s engaged to Rhys Williams, I went to school with him.”

“Ah, the illustrious boarding school I’ve heard so much about.” Jack grinned, maybe he be able to weasel a few answers out of Ianto that Rhys and Gwen had been stingy with, “Whereabouts in Scotland is it again exactly?”

“Oh, you now,” Ianto sipped his coffee, “North.”

“Right,” or not, “enjoy it there?”

“Yup,” Ianto fidgeted with a packet of sugar.

Okay then, “Have I done something to upset you?” Jack asked.

“No,” Ianto looked up quickly, an apologetic look on his face, “Sorry, I know I’m probably not what you were expecting when you imagined finding your soulmate but…”

“You were expecting something different,” Jack finished for him.

Ianto deflated, “Yeah.”

“Look, if this isn’t going to work then it isn’t going to work,” Jack was under no illusions, he knew he was handsome and charming but not even he could just change someone’s sexuality. If Ianto was straight, he was straight, “but I’d still like to be friends.”

“Yeah?” For the first time since they met Jack saw something other than fear and trepidation in Ianto’s eyes, it looked dangerously close to hope and he couldn’t find it in himself to be disappointed to see it there. Even if that meant their relationship wouldn’t be anything more than a friendship.

“Yeah,” Jack reached out and dared to touch Ianto’s hand across the table, “we can take this one day at a time.”

“and if it does..?”

“Then it does” Jack told him simply, leaning back in his chair to give Ianto some space as he drank some more of his own coffee, “at least we got an interesting story out of it,” he tried for some more casual conversation, “I mean Gwen met Rhys in the supermarket over packets of pasta. We have an robbery, a damsel in distress and a dashing hero. Talk about luck, eh?”

“I don’t believe it luck,” Ianto said.

Tilting his head to one side, Jack asked, “So whats your theory?”

Quiet for a moment, Ianto hid a smile behind the rim of his coffee cup, “Professor plum in the library with the lead pipe.”

Letting out a surprised laugh, Jack finally caught a glimpse of the humorous man Gwen had promised him was hiding underneath all those layers, “An excellent theory Mr Jones, I’ll get my best detectives on it, asap.”


	5. Roses and Romance

It had only been two weeks, two weeks of somewhat stilted coffee dates and one disastrous lunch where Jack had somehow managed to spill soup over his date but here he was on his way to pick Ianto up for their double date with Gwen and Rhys. Jack hadn’t been too sure it was a good idea but Gwen had insisted so that was that. 

Ianto answered his door looking as nervous about the evening as Jack felt but by god did he look nothing short of a vision, “Wow,” Jack felt like an idiot but really there were no other words to describe what he was looking at, “You look amazing Ianto.”

“Thank you,” a shy smile tugged at his lips as he returned the compliment, “You look good too, nice coat.”

“Oh this old thing,” Jack tried not to let on how much the compliment meant to him as he offered Ianto his arm, “looking forward to our double date?”

“Uh, sure,” Ianto laughed quietly, “Rhys told me that Gwen was rather insistent?”

“That’s one was to put it,” Jack agreed, “y’know she threatened to remove all the screws from my desk and watch it collapse on me if I cancelled?”

“Now that’s dedication to your craft,” Ianto tried to relax into the easy chatter as Jack opened the car door for him and thankfully they didn’t get chance to fall into an awkward silence as the restaurant Gwen had chosen was fairly close by, “after you Captain.”

“You’re only saying that so she attacks me first,” Jack sighed as he walked through the restaurant doors Ianto was holding open for him.

Sure enough Gwen and Rhys were already seated and waved them over enthusiastically. However, as they made their way over to the table it became blindingly obvious to Ianto that this was a rather romantic setting and a lot of the other dining couples were staring at them. It did nothing to calm his nerves and he couldn’t help but cast a discrete Imperturbable charm around their table for some extra privacy once Jack wandered off to check int their coats.

“Really?” Rhys sent him a disapproving look but it didn’t last long before a teasing smile broke free, “you always were too good at the nonverbal stuff, weren’t you?”

“Whats that?” Jack asked as he rejoined them.

“Nothing,” Ianto shook his head quickly, “shall we sit?”

All in all it could have been worse, the food was good, Gwen seemed to be mostly behaving herself, not asking anything too personal and Jack hadn’t spilt anything own his front so far so he counted that as a win. Ianto and Rhys were still dodging questions about their shared time at school but Jack figured there had to be a good reason for it and let it lie for the most part, “I’ll weasel the juicy details out of you one day Ianto, just you wait,” he teased.

“Aw,” Gwen cooed, “you two are so cute together!”

“Gwen,” Jack complained as Ianto blushed next to him, “knock it off.”

“Okay, okay,” the sparkle of mischief in her eyes told a different story though, “you two just fit though, it’s almost like _magic_.”

“Gwen,” Rhys warned her as Ianto blushed an even deeper shade of red but now Jack was intrigued, and not just about how far down that lovely flush went either.

“Magic?” He turned to his date with an expectant expression, “what does that mean?”

“Oh trust me,” Gwen giggled, perhaps a little tipsy at this point, “he’s got a trick or two up his sleeve that one, I’d be careful if I were you Jack.” Ianto was now glaring at her slightly as Rhys tried to distract her with a different topic, she meant no harm really, she was just having a little fun.

Smiling at his embarrassed date, Jack held Ianto’s hand under the table and gave him his biggest puppy dog eyes. “You didn’t tell me you could do magic tricks,” he squeezed his hand softly, “show me some? Pretty please?”

Reluctantly, Ianto pulled his hand away and after receiving a small nod from Rhys he took a deep breath and contoured a small rose from behind Jack’s ear much to the mans delight, “Tada.”

Snorting, Rhys shook his head fondly, “The girls always did like that one back in school.”

“Wow,” takings he offered rose, Jack looked at it with wonder, ignoring Rhys comment, “how did you do that?”

“A magician never reveals his secrets,” Gwen giggled and Ianto wanted to hide under the table. He knew he probably shouldn’t be lying to Jack, the law permitted any witch or wizard to reveal their magic to their soulmate If they were a muggle but he didn’t know if it was too soon. Or if he had left it too late. All he knew was that it was probably a bad idea to build a relationship on lies.

“Okay,” Rhys signalled for the cheque and did his best to quieten his fiancé, “I think it’s about time we went home, eh Gwen? This was nice, we should do it again sometime.”

“Oh absolutely,” Jack agreed with a wide smile, twirling the rose Ianto had gifted him around his fingers, absolutely besotted, “Ianto?”

“Yes, we should,” he agreed, surprising himself by actually meaning it.


	6. Accidental Magic

Jack was still playing with his flower as he walked Ianto back to his door, utterly charmed by the magic trick and hopeful that flower was maybe a sign that Ianto was feeling the same way he was about their bond. He had meant what he said during their first coffee date, if Ianto just wanted to be friends Jack could find a way to be okay with that but friends not exactly pull roses out from behind each others ears and send each other coy smiles, do they?

“I had fun tonight,” Jack tucked the small rose into his pocket as they reached Ianto’s door, “I had no idea you were interested in magic tricks.”

“Well,” Ianto ducked his head slightly from what Jack assumed was embarrassment.

Reaching out, Jack tipped Ianto’s chin up so he could see his face, “hey, I think it’s cute.”

And if Ianto’s fucking heart didn’t just melt when Jack told him that. Without thinking too hard about it he let himself sway forward and close the distance between them. If Jack was surprised he quickly recovered and kissed him back in earnest. 

It was a strange kiss, different than kissing a woman but Ianto was shocked to find he liked it. He liked the way he could feel Jacks slight stubble scratching his chin and he definitely liked the large hands cradling his face. All in all it was a pretty decent first kiss, made infinitely more memorable when Ianto noticed the small floating hearts dancing above Jacks head. It had been a while since he’d done any accidental magic and he counted his lucky stars when he manage to banish them before Jack could see. That was close.

“I’ll call you,” Jack promised as he pulled away, hands lingering for a moment before he turned to go.

But Ianto couldn’t just leave it like that, filled to the brim with a feeling he couldn’t quite recognise he caught Jack’s coat sleeve and stopped him, “Jack,” the man turned back round with a hopeful expression, “lunch tomorrow? My treat.”

A wide grin split across Jack’s face, “I’d love that.”

-

Ianto sat across from Rhys with a strained expression a few days later and it became clear very quickly that this was going to be a Serious conversation, “Go on, spit it out,” Rhys squared his shoulders, “what’s wrong?” He was already imagining the worst, Ianto had always had a knack for getting into trouble for as long as he’d known him.

Not having the energy to dance around the subject, Ianto asked bluntly, “How did you know it was the right time to tell Gwen?”

Relieved, Rhys shrugged, “I just did,” he knew that wasn’t a very helpful answer but it was the only one he could give him, “don’t worry about it mate, you’ll know when it’s the right time.”

“Just like I was supposed to know how to react when I found my soulmate?” Ianto resisted the urge to sigh, “Lets face it Rhys, I’m bloody hopeless at this stuff.”

“Oh I don’t know,” he teased, “Jack seemed to like his little rose now didn’t he?”

“Shut up.”

-

Slouched at his desk, his head lolling on Gwen’s shoulder, Jack sighed dreamily, “He’s perfect Gwen,” their lunch date had been amazing and things had only been getting better since, he’d felt they’d really started to connect but something was still a little off, “but I feel like he’s holding back.”

“Just give him time,” Gwen knew exactly what Ianto was holding back but it wasn’t her place to say, “It’s only been a month.”

Tosh took Jack’s short bout of silence as an opportunity to pipe in, “Yeah, remember what Owen was like when we first got together?”

He did, the man had been a mess, a compete and utter mess, “Alright,” Jack agreed, more than willing to give Ianto some more time, “I can be patient.” They were soulmates after all.

“Speak of the devil,” Gwen nudged his head up so he could see out of his office window and Jack almost fell out of his chair in his haste to stand up, “Christ Jack, be careful.”

“He’s here!” Ianto had never dropped by the station to see him before, at least he assumed the man was here to see him and not report a crime. Oh god, what if he’d been mugged or something?

“Jack,” Tosh could practically read his mind, “calm down, he looks fine.”

Smoothing down his shirt, Jack tried to check his reflection in his monitor, “Right,” he messed with his hair, cursing the fact he hadn’t used conditioner that morning, “right, how do I look?”

“You look fine,” Gwen all but pushed him out the door, “go get him tiger.”

Pulling himself together, Jack made his way over to Ianto and told himself not to be nervous, he had no reason to be. Ianto definitely wasn’t here to break up with him, or to report some heinous crime he’d been a victim of, “Ianto?” The other man turned around and smiled that adorable little grin he always did when he was nervous, good so it wasn’t only him then, “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” Ianto rubbed the back of his neck, “I just thought I’d pop by and say hello on my break. Is that okay?”

“It’s more than okay,” Jack grinned, pecking him quickly on the lips as relief flooded through his veins, “hello.”

“Hi,” laughing nervously, Ianto tried not to feel like an idiot, “hopefully I’m not interrupting you, I probably should have texted first but Lois pretty much kicked me out.”

“You’re not interrupting anything, I was actually just about to go on my own break,” technically not a lie, he had been planning on working through till lunch but nobody would mind if he slipped out for half an hour or so, “Coffee?”

“Sure,” coffee sounded great, Ianto didn’t know when it had become his new normal to grab coffee or lunch with Jack every other day but he couldn’t say he minded all too much, “I’m buying this time though.”


	7. Wands and Presumptions

Looking back Ianto had no idea what possessed to him to spontaneously invite Jack over to his flat, really he should have at least given himself longer than an hour to remove all traces of magic from his home. He didn’t realise just how anti-muggle friendly his flat was until he was tidying up moving photos, spare wizarding change and the disaster zone that was his brewing station in the kitchen.

He’d called Rhys for advice in his panic only for his friend to laugh at him until he was reminded of the first time he’d had Gwen over. Ianto still remembered leaping out of the bathroom window to avoid Gwen with a trunk full of old school books on Rhys’s broomstick.

To make matters worse Jack arrived ten minutes early just as Ianto was shoving the last of his Museum work in the storage cupboard and he barely had time to place a locking charm over the door before rushing to let Jack in, “Hey,” he only now realised how breathless he sounded, “you’re early.”

“Not too early I hope?” Jack chuckled nervously as he held out a small bunch of flowers, “uh, these are for you.”

There he goes again making his heart melt, damn him, “They’re lovely,” Ianto took the offered flowers and tried to remember if he had a vase or if some sneaky magic was going to be necessary, “please, come in.”

“Nice place,” Jack glanced around as Ianto wandered off in what he assumed was the direction of his kitchen, “something smells good!”

Upon realising that he did not in fact have a vase to put the flowers Jack had brought him in, Ianto peaked over his shoulder to make sure the man wasn’t watching before transfiguring one of his pint glasses into something a little more sophisticated, McGonagall would be proud of his handiwork, “I made dinner,” a white lie, he’d technically summoned dinner from the restaurant down the street. He told himself it wasn’t stealing since he also deposited money in their till, “I hope you like carbonara.”

Turning around as he heard Jack enter his kitchen, Ianto’s heart stopped. There was a copy of the Daily Prophet on his counter he’d forgotten to get rid of, if Jack so much as glanced to his left their evening was going to get a lot more complicated.

“I love carbonara,” he agreed easily, “I didn’t know you could cook, you never mentioned, oh-” Jack hadn’t been expecting Ianto to jump him so soon but let the record know that he certainly wasn’t complaining when the other man pushed him up against the counter and started kissing him senseless.

Little did he know that behind his back Ianto was twirling his fingers towards the copy of the prophet, causing it float from the room and make it’s home behind the washing machine for the time being, “Hmm,” Ianto pulled back once he was in the clear, only feeling slightly guilty since Jack looked like all his christmases had come at once, “sorry, I’ve been wanting to do that all day,” also technically not a lie.

“Don’t stop on my account,” Jack let his hands settle on Ianto’s hips and gently pulled him forward, “Oh!” He grinned, leaning closer so he could press a soft kiss to Ianto’s neck, “Is that your wallet in your pocket or are you just happy to see me Mr Jones?”

Oh shit. His wand.

“Uh,” okay this was awkward, only made more so when Jacks hand moved dangerously close and he flinched back, “Jack I-”

“Sorry,” he interrupted him, stuffing his hands firmly in his pockets in way of an apology, “I didn’t mean to presume.”

Feeling sufficiently awkward, Ianto only let them stand in silence for a few moments before clapping his hands together and deciding to just ignore the last two minutes or so, “Dinner?”

“Dinner,” Jack agreed, relieved he had been forgiven for his misstep.

The food was excellent but Jack thought the company was even better. Ianto had this ability to light up a room, they could be doing anything, absolutely anything and Jack just knew that as long as Ianto was there with him that there was no way he could ever be bored. If he were being completely honest he had been expecting to go a little further with Ianto tonight but strangely Jack wasn’t disappointed that they’d both be staying fully clothed. He’d actually really enjoyed himself so far, he loved Ianto’s company and was already dreading when he’d be politely asked to leave. 

But first Ianto had offered him a tour of his flat and only an idiot would turn down anything Ianto offered them, “I take it these are your school colours?” Jack guessed as he sensed a theme, one that matched Gwen and Rhys’ flat, “I didn’t think school spirit was a big thing over here like in the states.” 

“My school was different in a lot of ways,” Ianto admitted with a shrug as he sat down on the sofa, inviting Jack to join him with a lazy flick of the wrist, “sometimes it felt more like home than my parents house.”

“I can’t imagine being away from my family for so long as a kid,” Jack admitted.

“My school house was my family,” Ianto raised an eyebrow as Jack shuffled closer but allowed the other man to practically lay on him, it felt nice, “I never really got along with my parents and growing up my sister wanted nothing to do with me. Rhys is practically my brother in all but blood.”

Jack could respect that, he might not understand it but he could respect it. Still, the conversation was getting a little heavy so Jack did his best to lighten it up a little, “Did you have preppy uniform?”

“Shut up,” Ianto laughed, shoving his shoulder when Jack waggled his eyebrows suggestively, “see if I ever tell you about my school days again, eh?”

“I’m more interested in present day Ianto anyway,” Jack crinkled up his nose, “tell me something no one else knows about you.”

“After all my deepest darkest secrets are you?” Ianto joked, maybe now was the right time to tell him? He hadn’t planned on it but maybe this was the universes way of telling him it as time.

Jack took the decision out of his hands when he kissed him, “There’s nothing dark about you Ianto Jones, you’re the brightest thing in my life.”

“That’s so cheesy,” Ianto whispered between kisses, “like seriously, you’re going to give yourself cavities if you carry on like that.” 

“Ianto?”

“Yeah?”

Jack shifted his weight so he was propped up on top of him, “Shut up.”

Eyes twinkling, Ianto pulled him down for another kiss, “make me.”


	8. Snoring

The next morning Jack woke up with a crick in his neck and panicked for all of three seconds before he realised where he was. He was on Ianto Jones’ _excruciatingly_ uncomfortable sofa and he’d never been happier. Mainly because the owner of said sofa was asleep next to him, snoring adorably. The two of them must have fallen asleep last night by accident but Jack wasn’t complaining. 

And if he took this opportunity to snoop around a bit while making breakfast then no one had to know.

Ianto’s flat was pretty normal though, apart from the weird herbs in the kitchen cupboards and foreign coins in the bowl by the front door. He was fairly sure Ianto shouldn’t be taking artefacts out of the museum and leaving them strewn about his flat but then again, he wasn’t an expert so maybe it was fine. It’s not like he was dating a master thief who was pulling off great museum heists.

No, he was dating a man who despite cooking some top tier carbonara last night only had two eggs and half a carrot in his fridge which made Jack’s quest for breakfast somewhat difficult. It was while he was staring whilst fully into Ianto’s fridge that the other man scared him senseless, he hadn’t been expecting someone to engulf him in a hug from behind so suddenly, “Jesus Ianto! I didn’t even hear you get up!”

“Sorry,” he didn’t sound it, “what are you doing?”

“I was going to make breakfast but your fridge is empty,” Jack turned around in Ianto’s embrace so he could nudge their noses together, “do I need to be concerned that you appear to live off thin air?”

“No,” Ianto laughed, still only half awake, “I use magic to summon food when I need it.”

“Okay, har har,” Jack rolled his eyes, “I take it you use your magic to steal artefacts from the museum as well?”

“What?” Ianto frowned

“Those coins on the side?”

Ianto followed where he was pointing and blinked a few times, the haze of sleep rapidly receding, “Oh, those. I didn’t steal them Officer, scouts honour.”

“Hmm, okay,” Jack teased him, “I believe you.”

A serious look passed over Ianto’s face and Jack was worried they were about to have a Talk when his phone started ringing, interrupting whatever it was Ianto was about to say, “that’s work,” he took the call and ignored the way his chest tightened when Ianto almost looked relieved.

“Duty calls,” Jack told himself once he hung up, “we can talk later?”

“Alright,” Ianto walked him to the door and kissed him goodbye, “I’ll call you.”

Grinning, Jack stole another, longer kiss, “You’d better,”

-

Jack was avoiding him, Ianto was sure of it. He didn’t want to seem too needy but it had been over a week since Jack ran out of his flat after spending the night and Ianto was getting suspicious. They still spoke on the phone and sent the occasional text but it just wasn’t the same. Jack had assured him they were just swept off their feet at the station but old habits died hard and Ianto wasn’t too proud to admit that his insecurities could rear their ugly head at the best of times. 

So he hoped that Jack wouldn’t read into it too much when he showed up at the station unannounced.

He was just in the neighbourhood, he told himself as he clutched the plastic bag containing Jack’s favourite sandwiches from the bakery down the road, he was just popping in on the way home. He certainly hadn’t spent a whole hour getting ready before he left the house this morning, and he definitely wasn’t disappointed to find his office empty when he arrived.

“Can I help you?” A woman approached him to round out his humiliation, “Captain Harkness is out at the moment.”

“Yes, um,” Ianto glanced down at the bag he was carrying, “sorry, I didn’t tell him I was dropping by but I brought him lunch?” He didn’t know why he posed it as a question but the woman was still staring at him and he felt like an idiot, “I’m Ianto, by the way.”

“I know,” the woman smiled at him, “Jack talks about you all the time.”

“He does?” Ianto regretted the words as soon as they left his lips, they made him sound like a needy bastard but thankfully the woman he was talking to didn’t laugh in his face.

“Of course, you’re soulmates,” she said it as if it were obvious, “I’m Toshiko, Jack should be back soon if you’d like to wait. I’ve been looking forward to properly meeting you.”

“If it’s not too much trouble?”

By the time Jack and Gwen got back to the station Ianto had charmed half the officers on duty and Toshiko had made a new friend of him. Jack could even smell his coffee in the air, he’d have to be careful, he decided, any one of them could try and swoop in to steal Ianto away.

“Jack!” Tosh grinned, sat with Ianto at her desk like they’d been having casual lunch dates for years, “look who I found,” 

He smiled back, forgetting all about the drugs case he and gwen were working on night and say as he made his way over and dropped a kiss to the crown of Ianto’s head where he sat, “hey you,” he squeezed his shoulder, glad to see Ianto felt comfortable here, “I didn’t know you were coming to see me today.”

“I was around, thought I’d bring you some lunch,” Ianto gestured to the sandwiches he’d brought for him before checking his watch with a disappointed expression, “although I should probably be getting back now.” Toshiko had soothed his worries, telling him in no uncertain terms that Jack had been chomping at the bit to get away from work for a few hours to see him but they were swamped.

“That’s a shame,” Jack was touched Ianto had brought him lunch and disappointed he’d missed a chance to spend some time with him, “I’m sorry Ive been so busy lately.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ianto got to his feet and gave him a quick kiss, very much aware that they were at Jacks place of work and couldn’t afford anything more intimate, “we’ll catch up some other time.”

“How about Friday?” Jack suggested hopefully, “You could come round to mine for dinner,” he leant in closer and added quietly just for him, “and maybe breakfast?”

Nodding, Ianto hoped that Jack would want him to stay after he told him the truth about his time at school, “That sounds like fun,” Rhys was right, Ianto knew the time had come to be honest with Jack about who he was, “I’ll see you then.”

Tosh turned away and tuned out to the lovers goodbye but it was impossible to miss the way Jack sighed and swooned like a teenage girl as Ianto walked out the doors, “So,” he sat in the chair Ianto had just vacated and practically attacked the sandwich he’d brought him, “thoughts?”

“Well…” Tosh tried to mess with him, she really did but she couldn’t think of a single thing to nitpick about, “He’s great Jack.”

“Yeah?” Eyes full of love, he glanced back at the door Ianto had left through, “You think so?”

“I really do, you’ve found a good one there,” she warned him, “better not let him go!”

Like Jack was even considering it.


	9. Love and Truthing

Not sure what to expect when he arrived at Jack’s apartment, Ianto could only think of two words that could describe the experience for him. Blown Away. He would forever be grateful that this man could look past his frankly awful first impression, be patient enough to wait for him as he came to grips with his startling new reality and remember multiple fragments of tiny, insignificant details that made up who he was a person. Jack had gone above and beyond anything and everything Ianto had every expected of his soulmate and he would be forever grateful that the universe had decided to reward him with such a treasure as Jack Harkness.

He’d been met at the door with a kiss, something that still sent butterflies fluttering through his stomach. From there he’d been escorted into the dining room where his favourite meal had been prepared just because. They’d talked and laughed and once their meals was over Jack had put on his favourite film, something that Ianto couldn’t even remember telling him about and he was hit with a sudden wave of affection, dare he even say love for the man.

He’d like to say it came out of nowhere but if he was being honest it had been building up for some time. The only thing Ianto could regret about that evening was the fact he never got the chance to tell Jack his secret before his damn magic jumped the gun.

It turns out that being pampered and realising the depth of his own emotions was enough to kick his magic into gear without his consent in the matter. Rhys could never find out that Ianto had made it start to rain rose petals when Jack had offered him blanket incase it was too cold.

Jack… could have reacted worse.

“Don’t freak out!” Ianto held his hands out wide, desperately trying to make it stop raining petals to no avail as Jack proceeded to freak out in earnest, “it’s fine Jack! I can explain!”

“There are ROSE PETALS falling from my CEILING!”

“I know-”

“What the FUCK-”

“I’m a wizard,” Ianto blurted it out, he’d already messed this conversation up so why not go all out, “I have magic. Real magic and a wand and spell books and I went to a magic school and-”

“Get out, no wait,” Jack pointed to where the rose petals weer slowly changing to snowflakes above him, “stop this and then get out!” Ianto pulled out his wand in desperation and cast a couple of counter curses thankfully one of them worked. This did not however, calm Jack down in the slightest, “is that…” he trailed off, obviously trying to keep his temper in check, “is that a wand?”

“Yes.”

“A magic wand?”

“Yes.”

“To cast _spells_ with?”

“… yes.”

“For Christ’s sake Ianto-”

“I can prove it!”

Jack eyed him warily, almost as if he were afraid, “How?”

Ianto held out a hand and prayed to god that Jack would take it, “Do you trust me?”

“How can I?” He asked, “How can I know you’re not lying?”

And then Ianto repeated the very same words Jack had said to him when they’d first met, when he’d wanted him to take a leap of faith and take his hand, “There’s only one way to find out.”

The next few seconds of Ianto’s life were the longest he could remember ever experiencing and for a moment he was worried Jack wouldn’t take it but eventually he sighed, uncrossed his arms and reached out, “I don’t know what this is going to prove-” Ianto took a calculated risk and apparated them to France, more specifically, the top of the Eiffel tower that he’d visited years ago when he was over there to swap some artefact for the museum, “Fuck!”

“Jack,” he had no idea what he was doing anymore, how the hell had Rhys handled this with Gwen? He definitely should have had a better plan in place than just apperating Jack to the Eiffel tower of all places, he’d meant to start small not chuck him in at the deep end, “Jack?”

“Holy shit,” Jack looked out across the city, dumbstruck, “my boyfriend is a wizard.”

“Yes, I am,” Ianto eyed him nervously as Jack stepped away to stare over the railing at the city below. At any other time this would have been romantic, now it was just stressful as Ianto watched Jack slowly start to process the fact laid out in front of him, “you believe me?”

“We’re in France, we’re actually in France,” Jack looked around in a daze before snapping back to reality, “I don’t have my passport!”

Of course that’s what he’s worried about, “Would you like me to take you home?” Ianto offered, not really sure what he was supposed to be doing or saying now but willing to do whatever Jack asked, “I-”

“Oh my god!” Jack clapped a hand over his eyes, “when we were in your kitchen and I asked you if I could feel your wallet in your pocket, was- was that your _wand_ Ianto? I knew it wasn’t thick enough to be-”

“Okay, lets stop that train of thought there shall we?” Ianto interrupted

“You said magic school,” Jack was clearly all over thee place and he struggled to keep up with his own thoughts, “Is Rhys Williams a bloody Wizard as well? I _knew_ that bastard was cheating at poker, I _knew_ it!”

“Rhys is a wizard too but he doesn’t cheat at poker,” Ianto admitted, “he’s just crazy good.”

“You’ve been lying to me all this time,” Jack accused, turning his back.

“I don’t like to think of it as lying,” Ianto hated this, “just not truthing,” god, he hated _himself_ for saying that, “I was going to tell you, things just kept getting in the way.” Jack wouldn’t even look at him, “I’m sorry Jack, really, I am.”

Turning back around, Jack crossed his arms defensively, “So, you’re really a wizard then”

“I am,” Ianto nodded.

“You can do proper magic.”

“Yes.”

“And… teleport?”

Ianto wasn’t going to split hairs here, “It’s called apperation but essentially yes”

“Could you go to the moon?”

“Do you want me to go to the moon?” Jack’s glare was answer enough, “No, I can only go somewhere I’ve been before.”

“Well,” Jack huffed after a few more tense moments of silence, “that’ll make getting around a lot cheaper then I suppose.”

“You mean,” Ianto didn’t dare hope, “you’re alright with- with everything then?”

“Yes,” Jack pointed a finger at him, “I have a million questions and I’m going to rip Gwen a new one for not telling me she has a magic boyfriend but yes,” he even gave him a small smile, “I’m alright with this.”

“Yeah?” Ianto couldn’t help but grin back, a huge weight lifted from his shoulders.

“You’re a wizard, so what,” he didn’t deserve a man like Jack, “it’s actually kind of cool.”

Ianto could have melted he was so relieved, “you have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that.”

“Plus, think of all the wand innuendos I get to make now!”

On the other hand, “less relieved to hear you say that.”

Jack closed the distance between them and nudge their noses together, “you love it really.”

The words were out of Ianto’s mouth before he could stop them but he didn’t regret it, “I love you”

Jack’s eyes wet comically wide for a moment before they turned soft, “I love you too” They kissed under the moonlight at the top of the Eiffel tower and Ianto thought to himself that this was the happiest he’s ever been, little did he know that Jack was thinking the exact same thing.

-

It took a while and a lot of wheedling but eventually Ianto brought Jack to see his half of the museum. Looking back he had no idea why he was so worried, Jack had taken it all in his stride, wanting to know all about Wizarding culture and history. He was like a kid in a candy shop, racing from exhibit to exhibit trying to look at everything at once. Lois had teased him about how his soulmate would react to the giftshop but Ianto had no intention of introducing him to that just yet. He did _not_ need a hundred tiny Merlin figurines scattered throughout his flat thank you very much.

The highlight of it all though had to be when Jack found the display of magical creatures, his shouting could be heard all the way through the magical barrier separating the two halves of the museum, “Ianto, are UNICORNS real?!”

Despite his best efforts Ianto loved him and knew that Jack loved him in return. Rhys had been right, he wasn’t too bad for a male, muggle, American, police officer, not too bad at all.

**Author's Note:**

> It’s bold. It’s dangerous. It’s never been done before. What do you think?


End file.
